The most intriguing position battle of New York Yankees spring training just got even more interesting.
Greg Bird gained ground by homering and singling in a simulated game on Thursday. He tagged RHP Masahiro Tanaka for his long ball; however, his one-bagger was even more impressive, because it came against lefty James Paxton.
The 26-year-old told AP reporter Mark Didtler that his early success is a result of offseason grinding.
“I was able to start over and get to where I needed to be, and work from the ground up,” Bird said.